Background:

A country farm has purposes different from a company; however, since the former pursues an economic goal, knowing the cattle management indicators could be useful.

Aim.

To determine the existence of strategic management elements on a dual-purpose cattle farm in southwestern Holguin province.

Materials and Methods:

A case study was conducted on a cattle farm with a dual-purpose zootechnical flow. Organizational management was characterized through a check list by means of a balanced scorecard for cattle raising.

Results:

The work system was divided into purposes. The dairy herd had a strategic role, whereas the growing-fattening herd has a tactical role. The increase of return rate by cattle head was chosen according to the vision and strategy. The financial perspective was based on the rate of conception, which is not financial. For customer perspective, the percentage of cattle that qualifies for a particular category, with the first category covering 80% of the annual animal sale, was chosen. In the internal process perspective, unit cost was used, which in face of environmental constraints requires innovating management. The formation and growth perspective comprised the rate of conception, which is unrelated to the skills of the work teams.

Conclusions:

The farm has practical underlying strategic management elements, and shows no distinct farmer rationality, which help reflect on institutional innovation and social learning in this sector.